Authors Note: This chapter is actually mostly from Xion's point of view. I hope you all enjoy :) Please read and review!

Thanks for the help Mystics Apprentice :D

Chapter Thirteen: Never

I grumbled under my breath as I made my way towards a clothing shop. I was probably thoroughly annoying my three companions that I had with me. I had been moving very slowly down the street. Why? Because I 'hated' shopping for clothes. Well, hmm…I guess I didn't hate it, I just greatly disliked it. Yeah, my mom would've been happier if I put it that way.

The day after Riku had left, Lea and Ienzo had insisted that I get some different clothes. And after an old man had walked up to me asking if it was pajama day, I had to admit that they were right. That had been just a little too embarrassing. Besides all that, Braig had been threatening to call me PJ. I'm not sure exactly why that bothered me so much, but I really didn't want him to call me that.

So, I was following Lea, Isa and Ienzo to a clothing store that hopefully had some half-decent clothes. If they ended up being anything like the ones from the fourteenth century Traverse Town I was just going to hold out till we got home, no matter what anyone said or did.

I continued to drag my slippered feet along the ground as Ienzo pulled open a door to a somewhat nice-looking shop. Isa followed him. Lea grinned and gestured for me to go in before him. I obeyed.

"Sora, this place has some decent clothes," Ienzo told me, walking up with a matching pair of clothes in his hand. True, it was 'decent,' but it wasn't something that I'd ever consider wearing. I had always liked capris and T-shirts. The outfit Ienzo was holding was neither. It was far too fancy. It even had a tie! Ugh.

"Nah, Ienzo. Those are no fun," Lea said. He tore the outfit away from the steel-haired teen. Ienzo looked slightly confused but walked away. "You need something a bit more colorful."

Lea grabbed me by the elbow and began pulling me off towards some clothing racks. I was a bit relieved that Lea was helping me pick something and not Ienzo. Ienzo and I didn't seem to like similar clothing. I was afraid that if I listened to him I would end up walking out of the shop in a suit and tie!

"What about these, Sora?" Isa asked, holding out a turtleneck shirt.

…

Well, that hadn't taken too long…I guess. Only about an hour, which to me was a very long time to be in a store.

My three companions had tried very hard to get me to wear the clothes that they each suggested, but I'd chosen not to listen. Even though Lea also liked to wear capris, he only liked tank-top shirts, and the capris that he preferred weren't like any I had ever worn.

But I liked the outfit I had picked. I had on a pair of blue jeans (they hadn't had any nice capris). They were a decent length; not too short but not too long, either, unlike someone else's that I knew… To go with my jeans I had on a blue striped T-shirt. I didn't much like the clothes in this world, but it was better then wearing pajamas! At least now Braig couldn't pick on me.

"I still think that tank-top was better," Lea muttered under his breath, coming up behind me.

Ienzo sighed, tossing his bangs away from his face with a gloved hand. "Let's just go join our companions again."

"Okay," I agreed. I wondered if Riku would be back yet. He had been gone for almost a day by then. And I was really curious why he had needed to go in the first place. I guess I'd just have to wait and see.

…

I got thrown out of a portal and into something, or more like 'someone.' I groaned and backed up from the person, glancing up as I did so. It was Riku.

Vanitas had been serious when he'd said that you never get used to the time portals. I hadn't yet, and somewhat doubted that I ever would.

"Which way do you think we should go?" Riku asked, his turquoise-colored eyes taking in all of our surroundings.

I frowned, thinking. We could either head back into a grassy area, or head on towards a dark castle. "The castle," I thought to myself. It looked far more promising.

"I think we should go inside there," I told Riku, gesturing towards the castle as I spoke.

Riku nodded. "That's what I was thinking."

I led the way as we began ascending the windy path that led to the castle surrounded in gloom.

I hoped that we wouldn't run into Xehanort. I didn't think Riku and I could defeat him by ourselves, and if Vanitas joined up with him we didn't stand a chance.

We paused outside the large double doors leading within. I drew in a deep breath before pulling them open. Together we slowly made our way into the dark building. Had we come to the wrong place? Because it was dark enough to make me question if anyone could live there. I certainly wouldn't want to. And I had always thought The World that Never Was was gloomy.

As I began to walk off looking for some form of steps that could lead to a dungeon, I heard Riku quietly closing the doors to the building. At least he was trying to close them quietly; the doors made it pretty impossible. They sounded like they hadn't been oiled in awhile.

I found the whole place officially creepy.

It didn't take Riku and I very long to find the way into the dungeons. My companion seemed to have a good idea on where to find them.

"We shouldn't stay in here long," Riku told me as we trailed down the last few steps and onto the dungeon floor. "I think Maleficent lives here."

"Who's Maleficent?" I inquired, tilting my head curiously to the side. The name sounded familiar.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Riku told me. "Let's just say she's not on our side."

"Okay."

We continued until we reached the darkest, innermost dungeons. I glanced around, but didn't see anything that resembled a prison cell. My eyes finally rested on the wall farthest from us. There was another door. Without a word, Riku headed towards it. I followed, glancing around as I did so.

Now within the next room there were dungeon cells. We began walking around the different ones and looking into them. They all looked dark and uninviting. It was also really cold in the room. Did Xehanort want all of his prisoners to freeze? Or did he just never have any prisoners? I wasn't sure.

"Riku? Is that you?"

I jumped, glancing around to try and find the source of the voice. I finally figured out where it was coming from when Riku hurried over to a cell about seven down from us.

"Kairi!" he exclaimed, looking into the cell and at a figure standing within. "Hang on a sec, I'll get you out of there."

"Is Sora here, too?" I heard Kairi ask excitedly.

"No, he's not," Riku muttered quietly. "We're going to go meet up with him as soon as we get you out of here."

"We?" Kairi asked. I could barely make her out as she looked around Riku at me. "Xion? Is that you?"

I slowly made my way over to stand beside Riku. "Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't try to get you out sooner."

"That's okay," Kairi told me, a faint smile playing against her lips.

It was only a matter of moments before Riku had unlocked her cell. I couldn't tell what he had used, but it wasn't his Keyblade. Maybe he had used some small pick or something.

Kairi stepped out, and Riku swung the cell door closed again.

"Thanks so much for coming to rescue me, Riku...Xion," Kairi told us happily.

"You're welcome," I replied, returning her broad smile. She really did look just like me.

"You didn't honestly think we'd just leave you here, did you?" Riku asked sardonically, but I could tell even in the darkness that he was grinning.

Kairi shook her head and giggled, her bangs falling into her face as she smiled up at her friend. "No, of course not."

With that, we all began to head for the door, which led to the dark hall and the creepy castle beyond.

The three of us didn't speak anymore after that, but instead quietly made our way towards the entrance. That was the thing with dungeons. It was always easy getting in, but it was another story entirely trying to get out.

We weren't too far away from the exit when I stumbled over some rubble, causing me to lag a short ways behind. I regained my balance and straightened. I was about to step over the bits of fallen rubble when someone leaped down right in front of me.

I gasped and fell down. In front of me the person rose to his fullest height and met my eye. He had spiky black hair that resembled Sora's…

"Vanitas!" I said, staring at the teen before me.

He smirked. "Hello…friend." The dark-haired teen turned around to face Riku. "So, you think you're just going to take her?"

"Yeah, I do," Riku replied, his gaze hard. He pushed Kairi behind him. "You can't stop me."

"Oh yeah?" Vanitas inquired, pulling out his Keyblade and holding it above his head in his fighting stance. Behind him several little odd creatures popped up. With his creatures following after him, Vanitas charged Riku and the two began to fight.

I watched in horror as their Keyblade's clashed again and again. I couldn't let them fight; one of them could get seriously hurt, at best! And I didn't want to see that happen to either of them.

Kairi had run over to me so that she wasn't in the way of the fight. She too looked close to horrified.

"Vanitas! Riku! Please, don't fight!" I pleaded, only to no avail. They just continued to fight away.

I pulled out my Keyblade, watching them both closely before I leapt in between them. Riku's Keyblade came down hard upon mine, but Vanitas hadn't been doing what I had initially thought he was. Instead he was swinging his Keyblade around from the side. I stood frozen, not seeing any way that I could move in time.

Vanitas's yellow eyes widened and he changed course, swinging past us and falling heavily to the floor. I let out a sigh in relief, feeling my heart pounding hard.

"What did you do that for?" Vanitas demanded as he walked up to us, Keyblade still in hand. "I—I could've hit you."

I made my Keyblade disappear. "Vanitas, I know you said before that you didn't want to join us, but are you really sure?" I asked.

"I will never join Sora," Vanitas told me, glaring at Riku. He then began to lunge at Riku again, but I got in between them again.

"Get out of my way!" Vanitas yelled, trying to get around me.

I shook my head. "No, I won't. Please, just put your Keyblade away, Vanitas."

Vanitas shot me a death glare before lowering his Keyblade and, to my great astonishment, putting it away. He then looked away, his expression becoming more neutral as he turned around, his back now facing both Riku and me.

The silver-haired teen stood looking between Vanitas and I, his Keyblade also lowered.

Vanitas's little creatures turned and began walking off. I wasn't sure what they were. I had never seen them before, but they reminded me a little of the Heartless.

"Why can't you just come back with me, Xion?" Vanitas muttered quietly. "I thought…I thought we were supposed to be friends… If that's what this is, then I'm not sure why I ever wanted one."

I looked away, my bangs falling over my eyes. I really hadn't meant to upset him. I just knew that I should be helping Sora. I guess…I had known that from the time I had first started helping Xehanort.

"Vanitas, I'm sorry," I said, equally quiet. "Xehanort isn't doing the right thing. I wish you would consider joining me."

"I'm not going to," Vanitas told me, his voice hard as he turned around to face me once more. He took a couple of steps backwards.

"Just take them and leave," he said, turning to Riku. He then laughed, only it was more a remorseful kind of laugh than a real one. "You've successfully stolen Xehanort's prisoner…and Xion, my only friend. Congratulations, Riku, I hope you're happy."